Walk away
by MortalSins
Summary: Just a tiny little oneshot I did. I've written others, so I might publish them as separate chapters here. Anyway, I know it's short, but I hope you enjoy it!


«Walk away, freak!»

Lily could hear the words ringing in her ears, slapping her across the face over and over again.

When she was nine, and she first met Sev. He had worn ragged clothes and a worn look on his face. He had called her a witch, and she had been angry. Furious. But then he had explained why she could make the flowers bloom and fly off the swings, and she had listened. Until Petunia saw them.

"Hey! You don't belong here, run back to Spinner's End before I have dad call the police!"

His face had gone even paler than usual, and his eyes flickered from side to side to fast for Lily to follow them. But then they met hers, and he raised his eyebrows at her. As if to say "This isn't over." And then he got to his feet and ran, like the devil was chasing him.

"Walk away, freak!" Petunia had yelled at him.

Then there was the time right before they got their letters. Sev had come to the playground, and asked her if she'd gotten hers yet.

"They'll probably give it to you in person," he'd said.

"Why? I know how owls work," she'd said and raised her chin. She knew quite a bit about her own future, thank you very much.

"Yes, but they don't know you've met me, do they?" He'd said, and though he didn't really smile, his eyes had looked warmer than usual.

"No, they don't." She had smiled at this, grateful that she had, indeed, met him. And then Petunia was there with her friends.

"You again? God, you two are such a freakshow!"

Sev wasn't scared of Petunia any more, but he knew how upset Lily got when he fought back, so he got off the swings and headed back to Spinner's End.

"Walk away, freak!" Petunia had cried at his back, before returning her attention to her friends.

Every summer since, Lily had met him by the creek in the forest. Petunia didn't like it in the forest, complaining about insects and wet clothes. So for several summers, they met there every day. She complained about her sister, and he'd listen. They'd do their homework there, gleeful at a chance to return to their own world, even if it was just for a moment. In the forest, they felt safe.

Until they weren't. Lily's parents didn't like it when she went there, so they started sending Petunia to look for her when they realized Lily had left.

When they were fourteen, they had been doing their Potions homework by the creek, and Lily was just about to ask Sev why Flobberworms were really a necessary addition to _any_ potion, when a branch snapped behind them.

Sev and Lily had looked at each other, and the way the both deflated told the other that they both _knew._ Lily felt her stomach sink, especially when she saw how Sev's hands curled into fists, and his jaw locked.

"Oh my, you're reading those filthy books again! Lily, you're covered in mud, that's disgusting!"

Petunia had turned her icy gaze to Sev, looked him up and down and raised her eyebrows. They had both heard it before, and they knew what she was thinking. "You, on the other hand... I see no difference."

Sev stood up at this, but showed no sign of walking away. Instead, he took a step towards Petunia, his hands still curled into fists.

"Sev, don't... Please, just walk away." Lily had whispered. She hated that they couldn't get along, and right now, he scared her a little bit.

Perhaps she had heard the quiver in her voice, or perhaps he just didn't want Lily to be upset with him. Either way, he did as she said. With a noise that sounded more like a growl than anything else, he turned on his heel.

"Good of you to listen to my crazy sister, freak. Walk away." Petunia had said to his back, before hauling Lily back home by her elbow.

And now, the words would hurt them both more than ever. Not that she would show him that, not in a million years.

They were sixteen, and only months prior had he said the words that would hurt her more than she could ever hurt him back. So as she shut the compartment door in his face, she put on a stone mask and sent him a steely, hateful glare.

"Just walk away, freak."

And before she could see his reaction, she had slammed the door, sunk to the floor and hid her face in her hands. Not even her friends got to see her cry this time, because they wouldn't understand. They hadn't been there for any of it. Not like he had.


End file.
